


Restoration

by FireEyes



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 100 Year War (Avatar TV), Aang & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, Almost Azula Redemption, Conflicting Azula & Zuko relationship, Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Minor Mai/Zuko, Minor Sokka/Suki, One-sided Aang/Katara (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, POV Alternating, POV Katara (Avatar), POV Zuko (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27807823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireEyes/pseuds/FireEyes
Summary: An ATLA re-write starting at the Crossroads of Destiny where Zuko never teams up with Azula in Ba Sing Se.“You would use that on me?” His disbelief was obvious. “Why?”“Because,” I started slowly, still trying to fully understand my change of heart myself. “Because for the longest time, when I pictured the enemy, I pictured you. I needed someone to blame, something to be angry with. But I didn’t understand. I didn’t realize that you didn’t want this, and that you have been hurt by this.”I didn’t realize that you were like me.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1: Katara

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> My first time publishing my writing like this! Exciting stuff! This story is something I've thought about for a while now, and I've got some great things in store (if I do say so myself) so thank you for reading! My goal is to update weekly, and to finish the fic by the end of January.

CHAPTER 1

“ _Love is brightest in the dark.”_

I shouldn’t have let this happen. This was my fault. I should have been able to recognize them. I might have not known all the Kyoshi Warriors, but it wasn’t difficult to remember the voices of the Fire Nation nobility. Azula’s sharp tone, melodic but calculated. Her language was refined and sophisticated. Royal. I was the one left here tasked with assisting with the invasion plan. The Earth King had counted on me. Sokka and Toph had counted on me. _Aang_. My head slumped as I was dragged, my eyes screwed shut. There would be no escape from this, not with the numbness in my limbs. Even as I began to regain some feeling, as I felt my fingers twitch, I knew better than to fight. Ty Lee had emptied my water after she blocked my chi. I would have been powerless against the skills of the Dai Li agents that held me.

The agents came to a halt and I opened my eyes, expecting to be in the palace’s prison. Instead, I was met with the visage of the Earth Kingdom’s symbol woven in gold and green thread. I glanced from side to side, and as I took in my surroundings, I realized I could move my head again. We were at the dead end of a hallway, the walls repeating the same pattern of layered emerald stone. The blocks were uniform, immaculately carved and placed by the benders that formed the building. Glass cylinders filled with glowing green crystals were mounted at the center of each square, secured to the wall by shining brass rings. I frowned. This didn’t seem right.

My attention shifted back towards my captors as I felt a vibration in the ground. The two men in front of me stood with their legs apart, fists at their sides. Simultaneously, they stomped and dragged a foot to the side. The floor in front of them split in two, separating until their movements halted. My eyes widened as I took in the tunnel that was exposed. There was something under the palace! It was unlit, but I could tell from jagged shape that the tunnel hadn’t been formed by bending. Someone- or something- had dug it by hand. It must have been ancient.

The Dai Li’s grip tightened on my biceps and they lifted me off my feet. My heart lurched. _No._ I kicked weakly, but it wasn’t enough. Without so much as a grunt, the men tossed my weakened body through the hole. I shut my eyes, my arms wrapping around my head to the best of my ability to protect it. I yelped as I made my first contact with the ridged rocks that made up the sides of the tunnel. I tumbled, and with each impact bits of stone and dirt broke away from the walls and fell with me. I dropped until I suddenly didn’t.

I groaned as my side struck the ground. The impact sent a wave of pain through my body. I coughed, a trembling hand moving to clutch my ribs. Nothing felt broken, but I knew that there was going to be plenty of bruising if I couldn’t find a way to heal myself. I sucked in a deep, shaking breath and pushed myself up onto my knees. My elbow ached; my skirt was torn at my thigh. There were a few dark patches in the blue fabric. I couldn’t see well, but I understood immediately that it was blood. It must have been the crystals, although I was grateful for them in some backwards way. As the Dai Li closed the palace floor, I realized that without their dull green glow, I would have been in total darkness. If I were here under any other circumstance, I was convinced that would think that these catacombs were beautiful.

The tunnels branched off in all directions around me, stalactites of grey stone speckled between crystals of different sizes. Their jagged seafoam green peaks reflected ethereal light from one crystal to the next. Despite the clear natural formation of the cave, the floor was smooth other than the occasional rock out of place. I could hear the faint echo of running water- another comfort. I could defend myself here. More importantly, I could _heal_ myself… If only I could find its source.

I turned, my eyes following the closest arch in the ceiling. The cave narrowed to my left, closing into a crystal alcove. Dead end. I admired the intricate weaving of the crystals as I thought, amazed by the natural patterns that they grew in. Unlike the tunnel, this cave wasn’t man-made. This was discovered and left untouched. I chewed my lip. There would be no way out. Not that I could access, not in the state I was in. I needed to find the water. It was my only hope, I decided. I was determined.

That is, until I shifted and golden eyes met mine.

“ _You._ ” I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the pain in my legs causing them to wobble slightly. I moved into an attack stance: my knees bent and angled apart, right arm out and ready, left arm at my empty flask. I knew there was no water left- even now, I tried to pull with the hope that there were at least a few drops, only to be disappointed- but he didn’t. “What are _you_ doing here?” I narrowed my eyes as I snapped at him, hoping that the small break in my voice didn’t betray my vulnerability. I didn’t get it. Princess Azula, his _sister_ , was the one that dropped me here. This must have been a trap. My heart beat as if it were trying to escape my chest.

Zuko met my eyes, his posture relaxed where he sat on the cave floor. I didn’t like it. “She put you down here, too, huh?”

“How did you get into Ba Sing Se?” I blurted out. I had so many questions, insults, things that I had wanted to say to the prince for so long. I wasn’t ready for any of it. How do you face the thing that ripped your life apart without preparation?

“I came here as a refugee. With my uncle,” his expression saddened at his words. I assumed his uncle hadn’t had the pleasure to accompany him to this underground prison. “So we could be hidden from the Fire Nation. Uncle wanted to start a new life.” He looked as if he were telling the truth. He maintained eye contact, and his voice was even. He didn’t hesitate to speak to me. Yet again, I didn’t understand.

I relaxed my stance slightly. My muscles thanked me. “What do you mean? Why were you hiding from the Fire Nation? You _are_ the Fire Nation.”

Zuko chuckled sadly and shook his head. “No. I’m not. I haven’t been for a long time. And Uncle,” He sighed. “After the battle at the Northern Water Tribe, my father marked him as a traitor. Both of us are wanted,” he explained. “He sent Azula after us, and we decided it would be better to live this way than to face her.”

I believed him. Some part of me did, at least. I wanted to listen to him. But _why?_

I marched up to him, doing my best to push away the piece of myself that was letting my guard down. “Do you expect me to believe that? You took _everything_ from me. The fire nation destroyed my home. They- They took my mother,” my hand instinctively went to my necklace as tears began to cloud my vision.

“That’s something that we have in common,” Zuko started before I could compose myself enough to go on. He stood slowly, never looking away. And for that, I was glad. I wanted him to see the pain that he caused.

But as I processed his words, my eyes widened. My vengefulness melted away to shock. Zuko’s mother was royalty—she had to be. What could have possibly happened to her? She would have been protected at all costs.

“When I was a child, she vanished,” Zuko explained, my conflicted thoughts making themselves known through my expression. “My mother and my father never got along. I know he had something to do with it. He had something to do with this.” He gestured to his scar.

“Your- Your father gave you that scar...?” My lower lip trembled as my first tear rolled down my cheek. I remembered the pain that Aang caused me when he pushed himself to fire bend. The burns boiled my skin, leaving trails of blood in their wake. I was lucky to reach the water as fast as I had. I was lucky that my instincts told me what to do. And that was only from a stray lick of flames. My burns weren’t intentional.

“Yes,” he nodded ever so slightly; his voice low. “For speaking out of turn. I embarrassed him. And I wouldn’t fight him. It’s something that I can never escape. The mark of a Banished Prince. Dishonor.”

I dropped my aggressive façade fully then. Hesitantly, I reached up, my hand hovering by Zuko’s damaged skin. He watched me, his eyes moving between my fingers and my expression, evaluating my intentions. After a short moment, he shut his eyes, giving me his permission to place my fingers on his face.

Zuko’s scar was rough, the skin thick and wrinkled. It had healed unevenly- depressed in some areas and raised in others- likely due to the way the fire had moved over his skin. Some areas had been damaged more. The color shifted, too, some areas a deep red while others were pinker in color. It seemed as though the worst bits of the injury were directly around his eye. Here, the scar was darkest. It was raised more than the outer bits, which, when factoring the rigidity of the skin, explained why Zuko couldn’t fully open this eye. It had long since healed over, I knew that, but as Zuko’s words echoed in my mind, I couldn’t help but remember how I was left with no physical reminder of Aang’s fire bending mishap. “I… I wouldn’t say that. There might be a way.” What was I doing?

His eyes snapped open. “What? That’s impossible.” I could see his wariness and confusion. He wanted to trust me the same way that I wanted to trust him.

I bit my lip and pulled away. I hesitated, my hands at my collar where the chain began. I shouldn’t show him this. Why did I feel like this was the right thing to do? He opened up to me. His family threw him here the same as they did to me. He didn’t try to fight me. He understands my pain. Carefully, I pulled the vial of spirit water out from my robe, cradling the delicate vial in both of my hands. “This is water from the Spirit Oasis in the Northern Water Tribe,” I explained, looking back to watch Zuko’s reaction. “This water has special properties.” As I watched his face, I remembered his uncle that day.

General Iroh. The Dragon of the West. One of the most powerful fire benders in the world. The one that nearly conquered Ba Sing Se when I was a child. I was shocked by his spirituality. He defended Tui and La, the Moon and the Ocean spirits with everything he had. He stood by me, like Zuko did now. He helped restore balance then. Somehow, he could see a part of Tui in Yue. I didn’t understand it. Nobody else had, not even Aang. Iroh was the one that saved the day then. And here Zuko was, paying the price.

Why did I feel like Zuko and I had a common goal?

I saw something in his eyes then, something I had never seen before—although, I hadn’t seen much other than anger in the past. I could swear that it was hope. He looked… Young. I was noticing it more now. His hair had grown considerably since we first met. It looked like he didn’t know what to do with it, the way it fell over his eyes. For the first time, I realized that he wasn’t dressed like royalty. He was wearing clothes like what he was wearing when I first spotted him earlier today in the tea shop. Earth toned clothes that I’d imagine he’d describe as being for peasants. How did I not notice? If this were a trap, why would he still have been disguised?

“You would use that on me?” His disbelief was obvious. “Why?”

“Because,” I started slowly, still trying to fully understand my change of heart myself. “Because for the longest time, when I pictured the enemy, I pictured you. I needed someone to blame, something to be angry with. But I didn’t understand. I didn’t realize that you didn’t want this, and that you have been hurt by this.”

_I didn’t realize that you were like me._

Zuko nodded. “I didn’t,” He agreed. “I wanted to be accepted. Loved,” he looked down. “Capturing the Avatar was the only way I could return home and restore my honor. But Uncle taught me that I’m able to decide my own destiny.” Zuko clenched his fists at the mention of his uncle. He was in anguish. I hoped that nothing had happened to Iroh. “And I have.”

“You’ve changed,” I placed a hand on Zuko’s shoulder in attempt to give him whatever comfort I could provide. I couldn’t bear to see him like this. It felt wrong. “I can see that you have.”

Zuko turned back to me then, the small smile on his lips unable to cover the sadness shrouding his eyes. “Thank you,” He frowned. “I- I’ve been chasing you for months now and I just realized I don’t know your name.”

“Katara,” I said, smiling warmly. I wanted to laugh, but I held it back. After all this time, I couldn’t believe that what to call me was a genuine concern of his. “My name is Katara.”

“Katara.” He repeated my name, trying it out. “Katara, you’re hurt.”

“It’s obvious?” I had thought I had done a good job of hiding my pain, but Zuko’s words brought my focus back and I realized just how much my adrenaline had been covering my pain. “I’ll be alright. It’s just some bumps and scrapes,” I assured, not wanting to cause unnecessary worry. “There’s water nearby. I’ll be able to heal myself once we find it.”

“Still, you should rest,” Zuko insisted, placing a hand on my waist that caused me to blush. “Especially if you’re going to be using your bending. Healing can’t be easy.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but my priorities changed when I felt vibrations coming from the direction of the cave’s wall. My eyes went wide. I couldn’t fight yet. The Dai Li couldn’t be back so soon. I wanted to tell Zuko, but I didn’t have the time. His head snapped towards the wall. In one swift motion, he pushed me behind him and prepared for an attack. He stood with his right hand up and ready, his knees bent and legs apart as a boulder broke through the wall and flew past us. It crashed into a patch of crystals, shards flying everywhere. Instinctively, I moved closer to Zuko, protecting myself from the debris. Without hesitation, Zuko summoned a ball of fire in his hand and punched it towards the source of the boulder. The fire illuminated the dust cloud as it flew towards it, and then disbursed on impact with a strong gust of wind. Air bending.

“Aang!” I shouted, relieved, as the dust blew away to reveal the Avatar. I stepped past Zuko, a wide smile on my face as I made my way to him.

“Uncle!” I don’t think I ever heard Zuko happier as he followed me towards our rescuers. I hugged Aang tightly, surprised to see him back but grateful for it. He was incredibly tense.

I pulled back, frowning slightly. Aang was glaring at Zuko, their eyes meeting as Zuko hugged his Uncle. Zuko seemed tense as well, and I honestly couldn’t blame either of them. After everything we’ve been through these past months, I couldn’t expect the two of them to be anything less than guarded around each other. Although, Aang saw the way Zuko protected me. Maybe he was just jealous.

“Aang, how did it go? Did you master the avatar state?” I wanted to distract him. And besides, I wanted to know. I knew that Aang was powerful and learned bending techniques incredibly quickly, but he had only been gone for a few days.

Hesitantly, Aang turned back to me. “I, uh, I did. Yeah, I did.” He smiled wide, but his expression was… Off. It must have been Zuko’s presence here.

“That’s amazing!” I grinned. “How did you know that we were here? How did you know to come back?”

“I… I had a vision,” Aang explained. “I knew you were in trouble, and Iroh came to us when he learned about the coup.” He turned to Iroh, but his gratitude quickly faded when he once again locked eyes with Zuko. “Sokka and Toph are heading to get the Earth King.”

The Earth King. I had forgotten that Azula had gotten to him, too. He didn’t end up here, though. He wasn’t a bender. Maybe he wasn’t seen as dangerous the way Zuko and I were. I wanted to know that he was safe. He had to be. I wouldn’t be responsible for the fall of the Earth Kingdom _and_ the death of their leader. That was too much.

“Katara, you’re hurt.” Aang realized, his anger finally dominating his expression. He pointed his staff at Zuko. “This is your fault!” He shouted. I was shocked.

“Aang!” I quickly moved in the middle of them, my arms out to block Zuko from the aggression. “No! Stop it! Zuko did nothing wrong!” Everyone was silent. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide. I could only imagine the faces behind me. I’m sure they matched Aang’s shock. General Iroh’s especially. I cleared my throat, composing myself a bit. I crossed my arms. “The Dai Li are responsible for this. Zuko has been nothing but kind to me. I think you owe him an apology.”

“Yeah, Avatar,” I could hear his smug smile in his voice. “I think you owe me an apology.”

Aang looked lost. There was something to his expression that I couldn’t decipher. Betrayal? I found that to be incredibly hypocritical. He had come here with Iroh, someone else that we had seen as an enemy. Someone we thought to be incredibly dangerous. I was missing something. I had to be. But in that moment, I didn’t care. If Aang couldn’t trust Zuko at my word, then he didn’t trust me. And that hurt. Deeply.

“Let’s just go.” He breathed, finally turning back to me in desperation.

“What?”

“We need to go help the others. We need to keep moving. These catacombs stretch under the entire palace. If we follow them, we can escape, meet up with the others, and stop Azula,” Aang explained.

“Aang,” I frowned. “We can’t take on them all, there’s too many of them. Azula, maybe, but all of the Dai Li work for her now.”

“Avatar Aang can win back the city with the Avatar State,” Iroh spoke up for the first time, gaining everyone’s attention. “You are powerful, Avatar, and if what you say is true, you can prevent Azula from capturing Ba Sing Se. We have all seen you use it before. They would be no match to that strength,” He paused. “We can’t let my niece take the Earth Kingdom for the Fire Nation. I can see beyond the mistakes I have made in my past.” Something about General Iroh’s words resonated with Aang. Part of him must have already known that it was going to be up to him to end this.

“C’mon, Katara. Let’s go.” Aang began walking down the cave towards the sounds of running water. I frowned and turned my head to look at Zuko. His eyes were sad. Rejection.

“No, Aang.” I insisted. “They are coming with us.”


	2. Zuko

_“You are stronger and wiser and freer than you ever used to be. And now you have come at the crossroads of destiny. It’s time for you to choose.” -Uncle Iroh_

Aang pointed his staff at me, a menacing glare spread across his face. I hadn’t seen anger on the Avatar’s face before, not like this. “I’ve given you so many chances. You might have convinced Katara, but you haven’t convinced me.”

I didn’t blame him. He was right, after all. There were so many times that he had shown me mercy when I hadn’t returned the favor. When I freed him from Zhao, he ended up saving me. He waited for me to wake up, and I still tried to attack him. At the Northern Water Tribe, it was the Avatar that made sure I didn’t freeze to death, but I still retreated for the sake of revenge. I had wrestled with the extent that I owed my life to the Avatar for a long time.

When he faced Azula for the first time after Uncle and I went on the run, I fought her for my right to capture him. I wouldn’t even accept their help when Uncle was shot by my sister’s lightning. I still saw him as my enemy. For so long, I couldn’t see beyond my father’s words. I had to capture the Avatar to restore my honor. There was no other way. That is, until Uncle began showing me. Now, I wasn’t sure.

“But I need a fire bending master. You’re going to have to prove it to me, Zuko. And if you so much as step out of line, you’re done.”

All eyes were on me as I nodded my agreement. I accepted the Avatar’s terms easily. I would prove myself. Not just to him, but to Uncle. This was the right thing that Uncle was pushing me towards all this time. I realized it when they arrived here together. I wondered if the sky bison would recognize me as the one that freed it. I knew that I would need to do more to gain the Avatar’s trust- but his spirit guide was a good starting point. The Avatar has a name. I had never used it before. I only heard it a few times just now—what was it? I wanted to show him respect.

Bowing was the next best thing, I decided. I ducked my head, holding my right fist under my left hand. “I understand. I won’t let you down.”

“My nephew is not the man that he used to be,” Uncle assured. I didn’t think it was necessary, but I appreciated his support. It always encouraged me. It made me feel wanted when I knew that I wasn’t. “He is stronger. Wiser. He has chosen to follow the goodness in his heart.”

I wanted to thank him, but I was cut off by high pitched laughter.

“Oh how touching. Look at little Zuzu.” My head snapped towards the voice. My heart pounded in my chest as Azula emerged from the tunnel across from us, flanked by Dai Li. I still couldn’t believe that she had managed to overturn the government of Ba Sing Se _and_ recruit their elite soldiers. They knew nothing of loyalty. Although, I expected nothing less. I saw how they treated their people, keeping the poor and hungry out of sight and out of mind while the wealthy prospered in the inner rings of the city. It was wrong and disgraceful.

“I must admit,” Azula continued, “I expected more from you. But here we are. Father was right. You _are_ a traitor. Enemies and traitors.”

“Back for round two?” I was always feigning bravery around my sister. I glared at her, but she had beaten me so easily after I separated from Uncle before. I should have gone with him, he was right. He was always right. I hoped Azula couldn’t see through me as her words echoed in my mind. Enemies and Traitors. I wasn’t a traitor. Not if I was really doing what was right. If this were right. But enemies… These were the enemies of the Fire Nation. I still longed for my home. I hadn’t been able to set foot in my country for three years. Longer now— I couldn’t believe the way the time passed. But it was the only home that I had ever known. I was starting to forget the details of the palace. What the fire lilies looked like in the summer. There was nothing comparable out here. I missed Fire Nation foods. Traditions. I longed belong again. I didn’t want to hide who I was. My mother always taught me to be proud of my identity, but here everyone hated fire benders. And I was their prince.

“Round two? I expected much more from you, Brother.” She stepped closer slowly, cautious despite the smirk that remained unmoving on her face. We had the Avatar. She couldn’t attack right away, or it would risk her victory—and she knew that. She held one hand back towards the Dai Li, telling them stand by.

Her words confused me. What did she mean? With Katara? The Avatar? I’m sure she had hardly expected to walk in on this. I was still conflicted about it myself despite Uncle’s insistence. To a part of me, working with the Avatar felt like betrayal. I was still tied to the Fire Nation. Just like I was tied to Azula even though she terrified me.

“Although, I’m not convinced,” Azula declared, eyes locked on mine. “It’s time for you to really decide, Zuko. Together we can take down the Avatar and conquer this wretched city once and for all.” She shot a quick glare at Uncle, then continued, “And then we can go home.” Her voice was softer at the end. She meant it. I could tell. My eyes widened at the prospect.

“That- That’s impossible, Azula. And you know it. Father would never—”

“—Father sent me after you, yes, but you can still prove him wrong and regain your honor. He would welcome you home, Zuzu,” She insisted, something else hidden behind the strength in her voice. Desperation? It couldn’t be. She tried to kill me. Just now, she tossed me away. I was nothing to her. I knew that, so why did I want to believe her so badly?

"Prince Zuko, the kind of redemption that she offers is not for you,” Uncle warned. I clenched my fist and looked to him. This was my choice to make, but I knew what Uncle was trying to tell me. This is what he had tried to teach me to avoid. He had been guiding me towards a different path, and I had just begun to follow it. His eyes were sad. I couldn’t keep looking at them. I bit my lip and turned to the Avatar and Katara. The Avatar’s expression was conflicted. I knew he didn’t trust me. He couldn’t figure out what I was going to do. He looked simultaneously ready to run and to attack. And then there was Katara. Her distress was palpable. I wouldn’t cause her that kind of pain again.

_Azula always lies. Azula always lies. Azula. Always. Lies._

“Go! Find the water!” I locked eyes with Azula, steeling myself against her anger. My muscles tensed and not just because I was preparing to fight, but because she was my sister. My little sister. She was violent and sick, but she was still my sister. I never wanted this rivalry. I never wanted to resent her. I never wanted her to hate me. I didn’t remember much from our childhood other than my fear of my father, but I know that there was love for Azula. Somewhere. Maybe that was before father decided she was the one that was worth his time. Long before he revoked my birthright as his first-born son. I knew that he thought I was weak. They both did. I would prove them wrong.

“C’mon Aang,” I heard Katara’s voice, then two sets of running footsteps fading down the tunnel behind us. Azula’s hand curled into a fist and the Dai Li almost immediately moved to follow, but their path was blocked by a wall of fire. Uncle stayed with me. Again, his support filled me with confidence. We would protect the Avatar together.

“You chose _wrong!_ ” Azula shouted as she charged at me. She held her blue flames as daggers in her hands. I remember when Uncle gifted me the knife from the solider in Ba Sing Se. Azula was always jealous. She taught herself to bend fire into knives soon after. I had felt like she was taking something that was mine and making it more impressive. Something father would approve of more than his non-bending son. I learned eventually, but I still hadn’t caught up to her. I could barely admit it, but I knew deep down that I likely never would. She took after our father. Born lucky.

But I wasn’t weak, I was ready. I conjured my own blades of fire and ran towards Azula, meeting her halfway. We clashed, embers flying as our flames met. We danced, shouting and grunting, turning and lunging. Blue and red tangling and leaving glowing trails through the air with our movements. Azula and I were evenly matched like this. Her bending skill was equal to that of my swordsmanship. Behind us, Uncle fought the Dai Li with waves of flame and brute force. The sounds of crashing and crumbling boulders echoed, and shards of crystal and stone rained down on us all. 

Azula lunged at me once again, her hands high. This was my opportunity. I dove low as she came towards me from above. _The perfect strike to her side_ , I thought, readying my flames. I heard her laughter then, a sound that pulled me back to reality just as her foot collided with my ribs, slamming me down into the cave floor in an explosion of blue heat. I coughed hard, struggling for a moment to breathe.

“You miscalculated,” she sing-songed. Before I could push myself to my feet again, Azula took off. Uncle tried to stop her at the last second, but her agility was unmatched. Her body flew past him gracefully as she dove between bursts of flame. She landed on her feet with ease and kept going. She was going to get to the Avatar. I wouldn’t let her. Not this time.

I shouted my determination as I forced myself to stand, ignoring the burning in my ribs. I set off to follow her, running as fast as I could with my pain. The Dai Li attempted to do the same, but Uncle had them cornered. I silently thanked him as he redirected yet another boulder that would have taken me down. Azula had gotten a decent head start, but I could hear the patter of her footsteps. I knew I was going the right way and that she was still moving. I pushed myself, my breath labored.

“Azula!” My call echoed in the quiet. The farther I went, the wider the tunnel became. There were less crystals. Much of what was left had been mined in some way. They were small and their light was dull. I could hear running water. I silently hoped that Katara had been able to heal and leave with the avatar. I hoped that I had been able to hold Azula off for long enough.

At the end of my field of vision, I could make out the exit of the tunnel. It looked as though it opened up to another large cavern. I could barely make out a handful of silhouettes and flashes of blue. Azula fighting. Above all, I heard the roar of waves.

Katara.

I made it just on time to watch the water bender wash Azula into the wall of the cave— No. Into the wall of a building? People had lived here. They clearly hadn’t in ages, but this was a city. Houses layered the incline of the cave’s walls, bordered by waterfalls from aqueducts formed with interlocking stone bricks. The water flowed and converged in streams that made up the town’s center, brick paths surrounding them. I couldn’t believe that something like this was conveniently hidden under the city, perfectly preserved until now.

At the sound of her battle cry, my eyes snapped back to my sister. Her limbs were tense as she gathered her energy, preparing to attack. I knew that Katara had fought Azula before and that she was more than a capable soldier, but I wasn’t going to sit back and hope that she would be able to anticipate the power of this attack. Even as I watched her display of strength, as she manipulated the river to her advantage, water coating her limbs and levitating behind her as if a wave were frozen in time; I was worried. The avatar stood beside her in a wide earth bending stance. I knew he would try to protect her, but he was unwilling to attack. That strategy- if you could even call it that- wouldn’t work against Azula. Katara had clearly mastered her bending, but so had my sister. I had to throw her off. They had to escape.

I punched balls of fire towards her, small jolts of pain shooting through me as my torso stretched with my movement. I missed my first few, but I got her attention. Azula redirected some of her energy to destroy the remainder of my incoming fire. The rest of her focus stayed fixed on Katara, who effortlessly extinguished her next attack with the water she had ready. Another wave hit Azula, pushing her backwards. Her knees shook from the energy it took her to remain standing. We were… Winning...?

Azula’s expression changed. Again, I felt a sinking feeling with her smirk. Despite obviously being outnumbered, she readied another attack, arms moving back and forth building her flames. Her eyes focused on the Avatar, and with a cry of effort she launched herself forward, her body spinning as she launched her fire. Katara tried to block the attack, but the volume of fire protected it. The Avatar waved his hands frantically, manipulating the air in front of him in attempt to diffuse the flame. It was too little too late. The pressure that his defense caused to build threw him backwards at an incredible speed, his small body breaking through the walls of one of the stone structures on impact.

Just as Azula separated the Avatar from us, Dai Li agents rained down, appearing out of thin air. I managed to catch a glimpse of a few come from the top layer of buildings. They must have been linked to the palace in some way. Or, they had been waiting and this was Azula’s plan all along. The Dai Li surrounded Katara and formed a wall of men in front of the debris where the Avatar lay. My heart sunk.

Uncle came running in then, immediately firing at Azula. I knew he would follow once the earth benders were no longer an issue. Little did he know that he was walking into a larger problem. I looked to Katara. She was tiring, but she was incredibly skilled and surrounded by her element. She would be fine. Where the Avatar landed, rock burst towards the Dai Li, plowing through the crowd. If any one of us could take on so many opponents, it would have to be the him. I felt useless here, injured and in the middle of a crowd of bending masters. Prodigies. I joined Uncle regardless, settling on the unfinished business between my sister and I as motivation.

Azula pointed her fingers to the sky, sparks of electricity encircling them like rings before vanishing. As she built energy, Uncle stood in the stance he taught me before we arrived in Ba Sing Se; the stance he invented to redirect lightning. His warnings of the dangers of the technique rang in my mind as I too prepared, realizing I would have no other choice if she were to choose to target me in her attack. She was undecided, her gaze shifting between Uncle and I for what felt like minutes. And in one swift movement, she threw her lightening over our heads. She missed.

Or so I thought, until I heard a haunting scream of pain.

The flash of lightening lit the whole cavern a brilliant electric blue. Everyone stopped. Everyone stared. I turned from Azula with her perfect form and smoking fingers to the Avatar. I watched his body convulse from its position suspended in the air, a silent scream frozen on his face as shock after shock coursed through his glowing form—he was in the Avatar State. The silence in the cavern was deafening. My heart pounded in my ears.

 _This was it. We lost_.

The Avatar’s eyes rolled back in his head as he plummeted back to Earth head first. A scream of desperation echoed through the cave as Katara launched herself with a stream of water towards him, catching him moments before his body hit the ground. I chose the wrong side. Weakness. How did I put my faith into a boy to save us here?

“Go!” Uncle shouted, breaking me free of my dread. “We’ll hold them off!”

I locked eyes with Katara then. Her face streaked with tears and littered with the pain that I swore never to cause her again. I failed. I could have done better. I should have done better. But I couldn’t give up. For her, I had to fight. I had to let her escape. I nodded to her, doing my best to tell her this. That I was not going to let her down again. That I was going to prove to her my worth and my ability. That I could be trusted. Whatever happened to me, I realized, was what I deserved. I had threatened the world’s only hope of salvation from my father. And I was too weak to protect him.

My fire bending wasn’t as strong as Azula’s or as Uncle’s. It wasn’t as calculated or controlled. It was angry, and anger coursed through my veins. I charged my sister, channeling my deepest hatred for her actions. For the position that she had put me in. For forcing me to choose against her. For my weakness against her. I could feel heat erupting in waves behind me from what was without a doubt Uncle’s bending. He had gone after those earth benders. He knew that Azula was mine. With all my strength and power, I summoned flame in my fist and punched. I spun, kicking fire in her direction.

Azula leaped out of the way effortlessly as always, and the chase began. I lunged at her and she flipped, using her flames to deflect mine. Even with all that fueled my fire, my attacks were to no avail. With one kick, one swipe of her arm, Azula’s fire dwarfed mine. Suddenly, I realized something: she wasn’t trying to hurt me. She was draining my energy. And it was working. I was panting, my limbs aching from the length of the fight, from being knocked around and slammed into the ground. But that was okay. I just needed to keep going until Katara had the Avatar out of this cave.

When the commotion behind me stopped, I turned to see my Uncle surrendering, arms up. He looked at me, asking me to do the same. Before I could, my eyes followed the upwards stream of water that Katara used to lift her and the Avatar away. She lingered at the top by the mouth of an aqueduct, watching me. We met eyes, and slowly, I too raised my arms in surrender. She made it. Now, the rest was out of my hands.

We were prisoners of the Fire Nation.


	3. Katara

Chapter 3: Katara

_So much screaming. Shouting. Running. Sokka was out there. With Dad. When the falling snow turned dark, we parted ways. He went to fight, I went to get Mom. I had never seen it before, but my tribe had taught me what it meant. Fire benders. I had never seen them before either, but I knew that they were a part of the reason why there were so few of us. And why there was nobody like me here. Gran Gran said I was special because I could make water move. I didn’t know how it worked and it was really hard to do, but sometimes I could do it. Maybe I could be like Sokka today and protect Mom. I could be brave._

_I ran into our home, right into her arms. I pushed back my fear as I looked at my mom, “There’s black snow!” I explained, “We have to stay inside!”_

_Mom held me close and kissed the top of my head. I tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let me. I couldn’t see her face anymore. “Yes, we do. Katara, I need you to stay quiet, okay? Daddy is going to take care of it. I promise.” I hadn’t called dad that since Sokka stopped. It had been years._

_I nodded, and after another squeeze Mom let me go. I looked up at her to see her fixing her hair with a small smile. I trusted that she was right. My dad always protected us. And Sokka always protected me._

I screamed for my brother, my head ringing and my heart aching. We took off, leaving the city behind us. None of that mattered anymore. Our only hope. Gone.

_I sat on the floor across from Mom, smiling at her. I told myself over and over that everything would be okay. I was going to be brave. And I was, until I heard the first sounds of fighting. First came shouts from our warriors—I recognized those voices. And then, the roars of flame. I had never heard anything like it before. Our fires would crackle sometimes, but that was all. It reminded me of the sounds that the tiger seals made. Dangerous._

_When Mom looked away, I quietly snuck to the fabric of our home’s entrance. My curiosity got the better of me. I took a deep breath before risking a glance. At first, I saw nothing. Our home was towards the back of the tribe’s land. It was far from where the fighting was taking place. I was relieved until waves of red lit up the sky. My eyes went wide, my mouth falling open in a silent gasp. There was so much._

_“Katara, get back!” Mom was stern. Her tone of voice caused me to jump a bit. I was in trouble. I could hear it. I tucked myself back inside, my arms behind my back as I hung my head in embarrassment. I should have never looked_

_“I’m sorry,” I apologized, slowly looking up. My heart dropped at the sight of Mom’s expression. Her eyes were wide, face twisted in fear. She wasn’t looking at me anymore. I turned to follow her gaze only to be met face to face with a stranger in red clothes walking into our home. I started shaking as he stopped in the center of the room, standing in a way that separated me from my mother._

_"Katara,” She instructed softly, “Go get your father.”_

_I promised myself that I would be brave. I ignored my shaking hands and mustered up the strength to force my legs to move. I ran through the door and towards the chaos._

Sokka’s voice rang in my ear. Something about Dad. Dad was close by. He was bringing us to Dad. I used the last bit of water in my pouch to coat my trembling hands. I held them to Aang’s back against his boiling skin, urging his body’s energy to home in on the injury. He was slipping away. There wasn’t enough left.

_I was close enough to see everyone. Half of the warriors dressed in furs, the others in metal. I scanned the crowd for Dad. It was hard to recognize everyone with the commotion and my racing thoughts. Just as I spotted him, the fire nation soldiers began pulling back. A weight was lifted off my shoulders. They wouldn’t hurt us anymore. I ran towards Dad as he cried out in celebration with the other men. Sokka was there, too. His grin practically took up his entire face._

_"Dad!” I shouted, “Dad! It’s Mom!” He immediately locked eyes with me and took off in the direction of our home. Sokka looked at me, too. He was scared. We ran back together, following Dad. The fire bender must have left with the rest of them. Why would they leave one of their own behind? Mom would be safe when we got to her. She had to be._

_“Kya!” Dad dashed through the door, Sokka and I right behind him. I almost ran into his legs. He had stopped moving right inside. I stumbled but managed catch myself with his clothing before I tumbled to the ground._

_My body went numb._

_In front of us, body folded unnaturally on the ground, lay my mother. Black patches speckled her blue and white tunic. Burnt cloth. In the center of her chest, the fabric receded, and exposed bits of blistered flesh and charred skin speckled with blood. The snow had reddened around her._

_I had been right there. And when I left, so did she. I couldn’t speak. I could barely move. I had to do something, though. Anything. I dragged myself over to her. Neither Dad nor Sokka stopped me. I knelt beside her and gently removed her betrothal necklace._

I yanked the vial of spirit water from the chain around my neck. I was running out of time. I pulled out the stopper, letting it fall to the earth below us as I bent the water from its container. Again, I pressed the water to Aang’s back, focusing all of the energy that I possibly could into this final attempt to heal him. For a moment, there was no change. The last shreds of hope that I had were draining away. But then, his pulse strengthened. It was slow. Erratic. But it was stronger. And getting steadily more and more so. I clutched his small body as tightly as I could. My life depended on it. All our lives did. Finally, I sobbed. Loudly.

~~~~~

I woke up, recognizing the familiar rock of ocean waves almost immediately despite the dull pain that littered my body. It was comforting in a strange way. After all this time, all of these months to finally be back at sea. This wasn’t my boat. It wasn’t of my tribe, either—even in my grogginess I could see that it was clearly metal. I slowly sat up, taking in my surroundings. Fire Nation symbols woven into tapestry adorned the walls, but I wasn’t a prisoner. I couldn’t have been. We escaped, didn’t we? I quickly pushed myself up, my hands sinking into the plush mattress. A bed? I looked to the blanket that now pooled in my lap. This was luxury, not a cell. 

In my peripheral vision, I saw a lump under the blanket beside me —no, this was a figure. I could almost make out limbs. There was someone here with me. My head snapped in the direction of the pillows and my heart stopped. Aang. My memories came rushing back, eyes wide as Azula’s lightening flashed before me once more. The injuries. Our miraculous escape. Zuko. The spirit water.

Everything after that point was a blur. I remember being helped off of Appa, a small beach with our ships- water tribe ships- and gear. Our warriors. I remember seeing Dad’s face for the first time in years. I can’t recall his words, his voice, or if I spoke to him. Just the new wrinkles and concern in his eyes. I never let go of Aang. I wouldn’t have been able to move my arms if I tried. I was his only chance at survival, and I was not going to risk the fate of our world by letting him out of my sight. Nobody tried to take him from me. My thoughts must have shown in my expression.

I remember boarding a Fire Nation ship. I remember Sokka’s voice. Sokka’s guidance. My brother didn’t know what I had gone through, but it had not been the first time he had seen me like this. He helped me below deck. That must be where I was now.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, reorienting myself to what was important. I needed water. I stood as fast as I could, needing to place a hand on the wall to steady myself. My right leg wasn’t moving exactly where I wanted it to, but I was determined. I was on a mission. I limped my way to the door of the room and opened it. My eyes widened. “Sokka?”

My brother looked up at me from where he sat cross legged on the floor in front of me. His eyes brightened and the corners of his lips turned up. He had been waiting for me to wake up. “Katara,” He spoke softly, “Don’t move. You need to rest still.” He insisted, despite the millions of questions that must have buzzed in his mind. Most pressing being, ‘how did this happen?’ I wish I truly understood that myself.

“I- No, you don’t understand. I need to- Sokka, I-” My words poured out as disheveled as I was. He didn’t understand. Aang wasn’t healed yet. There was more I had to do. I _had_ to do it.

He stood, holding up his hands. “Relax, okay? I understand. I do. I know. We’ll get you what you need. But I need you to stop first, Katara.” His voice was even. Convincing. His concern flowed into his words. Gently, he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go sit down, okay?”

Ever since the day the Fire Nation invaded, I made it my duty to take care of my brother. I made it a point to prioritize his needs and to do what I could to help him always. Sometimes, though, I couldn’t be that strong. Sometimes, I was the one that needed care. I nodded, letting Sokka guide me back into the room. He never stopped touching me, even as we sat down beside each other.

I sighed, my attention shifting between the aches in my body as my mind relaxed. I leaned into Sokka’s side and realized as I fought to keep my eyes open just how tired I was still. I wanted to thank him, but I couldn’t find the words.

“Katara…” Sokka spoke slowly, carefully. “Damn it, Katara, what happened back there?”

I was expecting the question. I couldn’t imagine what it had looked like when I reunited with my brother after our battle against Azula and the Dai Li. I couldn’t imagine how he had felt when he saw me carrying Aang’s limp body. Slowly, I recounted what had happened. How I found Zuko working at the tea shop which led me to discover that the Kyoshi Warriors were imposters. I told him about the catacombs, about my conversation with Zuko and what I almost did. Sokka’s mouth fell open as I explained that Zuko and his uncle were the only reasons why I was sitting with him now and not laying injured in a cell. Or worse.

Sokka was quiet at first. I imagined a lot of it was difficult for him to hear with how protective he tried to be. I wouldn’t be surprised to find him beating himself up about this at some point. He’d try to hide it, of course. But I knew my brother. All of this was a lot to take in and process. “I… I can’t believe it,” He finally spoke. “That explains a lot.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s just that you were _hysterical_ , Katara. I couldn’t calm you down no matter what I did.” He smiled sadly, shaking his head a bit. “I could’ve sworn you said something about Mom. So with what happened to, Aang… Well, it makes sense.”

Mom. I wanted to say something more. I wanted to tell him about my flashback to that day. I knew that he would try to understand, and he would in the end. Nobody had ever cared about me he way that my brother had. But I couldn’t. It wasn’t something I told him about. I didn’t want to worry him or hurt him more than that day had already. Sokka carried his own demons from the day that our mother left us. “How did we get here? I… I don’t remember…” My voice trailed off.

Sokka sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, when Aang picked me up to head back to Ba Sing Se, I was about to raid some Fire Nation ships with Dad and the rest of our warriors. Assuming they made it out okay, I figured it’d be the safest place for us to hide. Turns out, they did more than just survive,” he explained, gesturing around us. “They were able to capture this ship. We were able to pile in all of our supplies and go undercover.” I could tell that despite the somber tone of our conversation, he was proud of our people. So was I.

“I’m so glad,” I couldn’t help but smile, even if it wasn’t much of one. “So, is that the plan? To hide out here?”

“Well, about that…” Sokka turned to me. “We need a new plan, Katara. Our old one relied on the Earth Kingdom. And we can’t stay here forever. Once Aang wakes up, we can—”

“—Sokka, I-“ I took a deep breath, shutting my eyes to calm my nerves. “I don’t know if he will…” I admitted quietly to try to prevent my voice from shaking. This was my fault. He was alive, but I didn’t know how. I remembered the way his energy fluctuated. I still didn’t know if he had stabilized. If he hadn’t, I didn’t know if I would be able to get him to do so. “That’s why I need water.” The weight of the world was on my shoulders. I hoped Sokka would understand that.

“We need to plan without him then,” Sokka decided.

My eyes snapped open. “What do you mean? How are we supposed to save the world without the Avatar?”

“I don’t know, but what we do know is that there’s going to be a solar eclipse soon and that day isn’t going to wait for Aang to wake up. We might not be able to defeat the Fire Lord, but we are some of the only people that know about the advantage we’ll have.” Part of me wanted to fight him, but deep down I knew that he was right. Our responsibility to the world didn’t end with being the protectors of the Avatar. So few have the knowledge and experience that we have. We’ve been to every nation. We’ve interacted with spirits. We’ve trained the Avatar.

I clenched my fists and stared down at my lap. “You’re right. We should come up with another plan. Or at least a backup plan.” I didn’t want to fully dismiss my abilities as a healer. I hadn’t trained the skill beyond the scope of our group, but I had an ability that no one here had. I had the best chance of anyone to wake the Avatar. “But for now, plan A requires some water.”

Sokka chuckled and stood. “I know I can’t stop you, so I won’t try,” He raised a hand in a wave as he headed to the door. “I’ll get you some.”

I took a moment to myself once I was alone. For the first time, I took a moment to take stock of my injuries. My clothes were torn and bloodied, but this wasn’t something that concerned me. If anything, it was something that I had gotten used to since our travels brought us to the Earth Kingdom. Fighting earth benders consistently caused a lot more injuries than benders of other elements. My chest tightened at the amount dried blood that was caked my forearms. It had to have all been Aang’s. I turned to face him then, his small frame limp on the opposite end of the bed. Sometimes, his power made it difficult to remember that he was still a child. My eyes settled on the movement in his chest from his breathing. Each inhale was shallow. Far too much so. But, Spirits, he was still alive.

Sokka returned a moment later with a wooden bucket of water in one hand and a tray of food in the other. He placed them both beside me wordlessly and squeezed my shoulder before leaving. As much as the two of us fought, nobody knew me better than my brother.

I had no appetite and little energy. I eyed the tray but couldn’t bring myself to eat anything off of it. Instead, I waved my hand, manipulating a small ball of water out of the container to conform to my hand. I slowly traced my form with the water, pausing in areas where I could sense the most damage. Each time, I focused my energy to the area in need and the water emitted a light blue glow. I would need more sessions for myself, but my pain subsided enough for me be capable of focusing on the task at hand.

I dropped the water back into the bucket then gently rolled Aang onto his stomach. The wound on his back was luckily no longer bleeding, but it was still open and raw. Thankfully, Aang wasn’t conscious to be experiencing this pain. I hoped would be able to help his body close the wound quickly. With a deep breath, I pulled water to both of my hands. I gently placed them on either side of the wound and called upon Aang’s energy, beginning what was sure to be the first of many more healing sessions.

I worked diligently, Aang's pulse ringing in my ears. I found my thoughts shifting into silent prayers to the spirits. It wasn't like me, but I had found that the more time I spent with someone as spiritual as the Avatar, the more I understood how important the spirits' will was to the order of our world. I urged them to save Aang. To do something to ensure that he would come back. To give me the strength I needed to wake him. It was the only way to restore balance once again. That was something spirits cared about, wasn't it?

Aang was the only way.


End file.
